On Thursday, the residents of Ditsobotla Local Municipality will have a new council as the North West town goes for a by-election three months after its council was disbanded.
Over the past two weeks, the municipality has seen some of SA’s most powerful politicians, including President Cyril Ramaphosa and DA leader John Steenhuisen, campaign for votes.
On Sunday, EFF leader Julius Malema became the latest politician to try and swing voters to “do the right thing” and not vote for the ANC.
Ditsobotla ranks among SA’s worst run municipalities, with services having ground to a halt. There is no refuse collection, and in certain parts of the municipality no running water.
Children can on any given day be seen playing on illegal dumping sites riddled with used diapers, sanitary towels and dead animals. Ditsobotla, situated in Litchtenburg, reeks of sewage.
Addressing supporters at Gunners Sports Ground on Sunday, Malema said all ANC councillors had to be removed from their wards, alleging that “sex-for-jobs” deals were the only way in which young women could find employment in the municipality.
“If you don’t bend over you don’t get a job. These old toothless ANC councillors want to sleep with your children in order to give them jobs and bursaries. We don’t want that anymore in Ditsobotla. It’s coming to an end because all those ANC councillors in those wards must be removed because the entire ANC is rotten. There’s no better person and if you doubt it, go look at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture report and look at all ANC members who’ve appeared before the commission.
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you come far with Nelson Mandela and vote for ANC and think you owe the ANC votes. Mandela is no longer here. Allow him to sleep in peace. This ANC is not the ANC Mandela fought for. It’s an ANC of thieves who steal food parcels. When Covid-19 had sunk people in deep poverty, food parcels would be given to those that are favoured by ANC councillors.
"Don’t ever forget that. Soon they’ll be back offering you food parcels but don’t turn them back. Take the food parcels and remind them they had forgotten you during the pandemic and are only remembering you because they want your votes,” Malema said.
Malema said the ANC had failed to deliver services like running water, building toilets and RDP homes and instead handed residents T-shirts with a “1994 Mandela walking out of prison”.
Prior to being dissolved, the ANC had 21 seats in council, the DA (6), EFF (6), Forum 4 Service Delivery (2), Freedom Front Plus (2), ACDP (1) and African Independent Congress (1).
According to the Electoral Commission of SA, over 450 candidates from 17 political parties will contest Wednesday’s 45 by-elections in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the North West.
During his visit two weeks ago, Ramaphosa said the area was now on his radar, adding he had become aware of criminals who had infiltrated the municipality, stealing money, squabbling and even stabbing people over access to its financial resources.
Meanwhile, during his visit to the embattled municipality on Friday, Steenhuisen said after three decades of corruption and neglect under the ANC, Ditsobotla was a broken municipality.
“The local agricultural sector and small business are suffering under the weight of service delivery collapse and poor infrastructure maintenance, especially around water and sanitation, electricity and roads. This has led to disinvestment and a rapid economic slump which plunged residents into unemployment, despair, and misery. The ANC has failed the people of Ditsobotla for decades,” Steenhuisen said.
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